OVERSTOCKING. 401 



ter of a mile from their hives, so much the better; there is 

 no great advantage, however, in having it close to them, 

 unless there is a great sup[)ly, as bees, when they leave the 

 hive, seldom aUght upon the neighboring flowers. The 

 instinct to tly some distance seems to have been given them 

 to prevent them from wasting their time in prying into 

 flowers already despoiled of their sweets by previous gath- 

 erers. 



" Mr. Kaden, of Mayence, thinks that the range of the bee's 

 flight does not usually extend more than three miles in all direc- 

 tions. Several years ago, a vessel, laden with sugar, anchored 

 off Mayence, and was soon visited by the bees of the neighbor- 

 hood, which continued to pass to and from the vessel from dawn 

 to dark. One morning, when the bees were In full flight, the 

 vessel sailed up the river. For a short time, the bees continued 

 to fly as numerously as before ; but gradually the number dimin- 

 ished, and, in the course of half an hour, all had ceased to follow 

 the vessel, which had, meanwhile, sailed more than four miles." 

 — Bienenzeitung, 1854, p. 83. 



Our own experience corroborates the statements of Kaden. 

 We have known strong colonies of bees to starve upon the 

 hills in a year of drouth, while the Mississippi bottoms, 

 less than four miles distant, which had been overflowed dur- 

 ing the Spring, were yielding a large crop. It is evident 

 that districts, where the honey blossoms are scarce, can be 

 much more readily overstocked than those rich bottom 

 lands which are covered with blossoms, the greater part of 

 the Summer. A great amount of land in cultivation, is not 

 alwavs a hindrance to honey production, for culdvated 

 lands often grow weeds, which yield an abundance of honey. 

 Heartsease and Spanish needle grow plentifully in corn- 

 fields and wheat stubble in wet seasons. Pasture lands 

 abound with white clover. 



709. It is impossible to give the exact number of colo- 

 nies that a country can support profitably. In poor loca- 

 tions, a few hives will probably harvest all the honey to be 

 26 



